Diwali Essay

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Vaibhav Thakkar C1RD2 02/09/2013 Diwali We celebrate three types of festivals in India, and around the globe. They are national, religious, and social. But I am going to write about Diwali, religious and one of the most important festivals in Indian culture and Hindu religion. As Diwali is the last day of Hindu calendar year. Diwali is celebrated for five long days. Dhanteras is the first day of the celebration. Then come Kali chaudas, Diwali night, New Year day and last but not the least Bhai dooj. But as you would’ve wondered why this festival called Diwali? Well "Diwali" or "Divali" is a contraction of "Deepavali", which translates into "row of lamps". Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. Today I shall divide the celebration of Diwali into its three elements. They are History, where I shall present the reasons of this celebration; When and which part of the globe celebrate this auspicious festival; and Celebration, how Diwali is celebrated in traditional way. It is since ancient times that Diwali has been celebrated. It is not easy to say now what really, was the reason behind its origin. Different people believe different events to be the cause behind this festival. The most well known story behind Diwali is in the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic. According to Ramayana, Rama, the prince of Ayodhya was ordered by his father, King Dasharatha, to go away from his country and come back after living in the forest for fourteen years. So Rama went on exile with his devoted wife Sita and faithful brother, Lakshmana. When Ravana, the demon king of Lanka abducted Sita and took her away to his island kingdom of Lanka, Rama fought against and killed Ravana. He rescued Sita and returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years. The people of Ayodhya were very happy to hear of their
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